Four students, namely, Chin Foo Lian, Ch‘ng Shin Fang, Ch‘ng Chee Kheng from the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment (‘FEBE’) and Lee Shu Hua from the Faculty of Accountancy, Finance and Business (‘FAFB’) recently won the Merit Prize in the MSC Malaysia Asia Pacific ICT Awards (‘MSC Malaysia APICTA‘) 2013 by designing and developing an intelligent machine-to-machine system called Sherlock Cares. They were given the title “Best of Tertiary Student Project – Software/Hardware” for their effort. This award is presented to the most innovative ICT software and/or hardware project from students of institutions of higher learning. Their project supervisors were Dr Lai Weng Kin and Mr Chen Woon Wee. This very same team also won the 2nd Runners-Up position in the MSC Malaysia-IHL Business Plan Competition earlier this year which is an integral platform for institutions of higher learning to test students’ abilities and creativities in digital technology and to inculcate an entrepreneurial mindset among students and staff.
The MSC Malaysia APICTA Awards provides recognition to outstanding achievements of individuals, students, entrepreneurs, SMEs and organisations with operations in Malaysia who have contributed to the development of the MSC Malaysia initiatives or in building applications and services for the benefit of Malaysia. It recognises creativity, innovation and excellence in Malaysian ICT.
Chin Foo Lian, one of the team members, mentioned that despite the fact that the other three teammates were in UK doing their Honours Degree Conversion Programme at that time, it did not pose as an obstacle. They prepared the documents and proposals required to enter the competition. They discussed and supported each other through electronic channels, such as Facebook and email. “We are glad that we had overcome the distance barrier and gone on to win the Merit Prize”..
Another team member, Ch‘ng Chee Kheng, added that TAR University College had provided a tremendous amount of academic support, which was deemed the most important help that they had obtained in this competition. Foo Lian commended both Dr Lai Weng Kin and Mr Chen Woon Wee for their efforts. “Dr Lai imparted not only knowledge in the technical aspects but also gave us a very good feel of the competition and what to expect from it. On the other hand, Mr Chen’s suggestions allowed us to think from a different perspective, which in turn enabled us to prepare and polish up our proposal.”
Lee Shu Hua complimented the University College facilities as being one of the best. “The facilities here are very well-equipped and have provided us with more than enough resources to prepare for this competition.”
Last but not least, Ch’ng Shin Fang enthused that she would definitely participate in more similar competitions in the future. “Joining competitions is fun and the satisfaction that you derive from it is great, if you put in the effort. But if you lose, ponder on how fun it was participating in it and how you have learnt from it. The experience will definitely prepare you to meet future challenges.”
Photo Captions:
Photo 1: Four TAR University College students won the Merit Prize for the MSC Malaysia APICTA 2013 Awards and they are Ch’ng Chee Kheng (2nd from left) and Ch’ng Shin Fang (3rd from left) as well as, Chin Foo Lian and Lee Shu Hua (both are absent during the photoshoot due to prior commitment). The win is also celebrated by Assoc Prof Dr Lai Weng Kin (extreme right), Project Supervisor, Datuk Dr Tan Chik Heok (extreme left), President of TAR University College and Dr Chua Ping Yong (2nd from right), Dean of Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment.
